pop culture – food – tech – occult

The 6th Anniversary of The Overnightscape.

Six years ago today, I had already done two “Beta” versions of The Overnightscape (on March 13, 2003 and March 20, 2003). On March 27, 2003, I did the very first official episode of the show… The Overnightscape #1 (hear it here).

So, this Friday, March 27, 2009, will be the 6th Anniversary of The Overnightscape. But this year things are a little different…

Doing The Overnightscape is very time-consuming. Often, I will spend an entire weekend working on the show. This became ingrained in my lifestyle and it has detracted from the rest of my life in many ways. This is coupled with the fact that even with all the effort, the show has only achieved a moderate success, in terms of audience and recognition.

In light of this, last August I began an experiment to see if there would be a way to do The Overnightscape in a way that would not have such an impact on my life. Thus began The Rampler.

The idea was to record in NYC during my walk back and forth from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to my job on 3rd Ave. The idea was to record and then release, with no post-production at all. The MP3 file recorded on the Edirol R-09 was the file that was released. All that would be needed would be to add tags to the MP3 file.

So I started this experiment, and it took off in a way I never imagined. Whereas the show is essentially the same as The Overnightscape, The Rampler became an exciting new variation on the theme for me.

In the seven months since The Rampler began, things have been changing. Slowly, I have been moving toward de-emphasising the studio aspect of my Internet radio show work. This was the original intent behind the development of The Rampler.

But… the original idea was that at some point, once the experiment was proven a success, “The Rampler” name would be retired, and it would be renamed “The Overnightscape”… thus The Overnightscape would continue on in this new form, with less of an impact on my life. However, The Rampler became something very distinct and new and unique…

So, The Rampler will remain The Rampler. This leaves the fate of The Overnightscape somewhat uncertain. Certainly, I am not going to be doing The Overnightscape on a regular basis anymore. But I don’t know that it would need to be “shut down” either.

Right now, I am in the middle of this whole process. I know it might be kind of a “clean break” to end The Overnightscape on the 6th Anniversary. But that sounds so… severe. Especially in light of the fact that The Overnightscape lives on more vital than ever as The Rampler!!

So this is what I will be thinking about this week… exactly what to do with The Overnightscape.

Ultimately, The Rampler IS The Overnightscape. Just in a slightly different form.

I’m very excited about the further development of The Rampler… and I hope everyone comes along for the ride!!

I will be sad to see the Overnightscape retired or decomissioned. I think that your life being easier is the most important thing to consider. Denice and yourself have given up way to many hours and days for the purpose of our entertainment. If just continuing on as the Rampler will make the Noras life better than Im all for it. The Rampler is still the Overnightscape and you will be free to do in studio shows whenever you want. I say combine all the previous shows into one archive and move on from there. You will always have me as a loyal fan, listener and friend.

Just to say that I agree with Manny. Listening to the Rampler does kinda go back to the days of the half hour shows, which in my opinion was a golden age in ONS history. Plus, if you do end up getting this WFMU gig, that in itself will require a bigger workload to deal with. Overnightscape, The Rampler, they’re just names, what matters is that it’s your personality that shines through.
Rampler FTW!!

“The idea was to record and then release, with no post-production at all” This is why I stuck with you for over 4 years. I enjoyed the incredible “sound quality” that went into the OverNightScape. I do understand that it did cut into your life more than you wanted it to. I do wish their was some middle ground between cutting off the ONS 100 percent V.S. scaling it back to 1 per week or so.

I completely agree with both Manny and Dave, the only thing we will really be missing out on if the Overnightscape stops or is put on hold is the area-code of this episode. The most important thing is you still will be doing shows and that you will be able to spend more quality time with your lovely wife Denice.

Of course I hope you will continue to do a studio show (a honorary overnightscape) so now and then so that we will continue to hear your dad on the show and that you will be able to do other things that you can only do during a studio recording.

In Manny’s words: You will always have me as a loyal fan, listener and friend.

What’s in a name? ONS or the Rampler, they’re the same show – just a different location.Please keep your dad’s shows coming he’s a great raconteur, but most of all keep on doing shows;either as the rampler or as the ONS.

Happy 6th anniversary, you have my support in what ever avenue you walk down or choose.

Frank,
Instead of doing the Rampler Limited or whatever.. Why don’t you just record the daily ramplers, and release them as you have been doing, and then once a week, create an overnightscape? Do the show, just like the rampler, but just call it the overnightscape…
No need to create an extra feed, and then those who want a once a week show, will have one…
and the overnightscape will not have to fade away…
heck, even think about changing the tone, just a bit… do a more lighthearted version…
put it in the regular feed, or rampler feed, or whatever… AND
put it here on the overnightscape site…

then, just use onsug for EVERYTHING… release rampler, ons, and all other stuff there…

you’d end up w/ three sites…

the rampler
the ons
the onsug

the rampler would be evertying on the street…
the ons would be a once a week show from the street….
the onsug would be all audio, anything goes…

I have been wrestling with the possibility that The Overnightscape might be cast aside to the expanding The Rampler. I agree with JohnBradley that TONS does have a certain aire and delivery about it that is unique to monologue audio shows – regardless if it’s delivered via the podcast model or a traditional over the air broadcast.

TONS is a timeless and content rich format that, although may not be an immediate or otherwise unscripted experience as The Rampler, is still a format that delivers a certain personal aural intimacy between host and listener. I know it’s still Frank and all, but being removed from outside happenstances and inside a controlled atmosphere does lend itself to a different experience.

I was relieved to hear on The Rampler Show #248 that TONS will still be produced and delivered – just at a lesser frequency. Components of that show like the stories of Frank Sr, Franks’ brother… and yes, even Franks sister to a point (gulp!, did I really write that?) don’t seem content appropriate when Rampling throughout Northern NJ and Manhattan.

Also I mean really – how practical is it to review whiskeys, scented candles and incense while on a bus or walking through Times Square?

I would suggest doing 20 min Rampler shows so that people could download them on the run via a data network (EV-DO, 3G, etc) without worrying about per file data cap like iTunes uses. Do these 20 min shows once or twice a day M-F. Save producing a single monthly TONS of in unlimited format to once a month.

Whatever you do Frank, I will support your efforts to do whatever formats you deliver. As I have told you before – you are a unique talent with a show that is extremely “organic” in today’s long list of internet radio hosts… not DJs, but actual hosts that command the sublime ability to put thought to microphone without being told what to do by the lame program directors scripts of today.

After listening to ONS 776 and 777 and you talking about it maybe being the last ONS there is something I would like to add to my previous comment.

First of all I do want you to be able to spend more time with Denice and the other things that are involved in life besides recording an internet radio show but having said that i really do hope you will continue with an occasional studio show (which i hope you will call the overnightscape) to be able to continue with phone interviews with your dad the whiskey reviews and the other reviews of items which you can not do on the streets of NYC.

I really would be very sad if the Overnightscape would stop, although I also like the rampler there is to me definitely a difference between the tone and feel of the rampler and an overnightscape and the latter is the show i fell in love with so many years ago.

For those who miss particular eras of the show – (for example, the era when there was a 30 minute Overnightscape every day Monday to Friday), one thing you should remember is that they’re all still online! Every single one of them! If you go back and dip into the archives you’ll find that they’re mostly timeless. As I found when I first discovered Frank’s shows in Spring 2005 and spent around a year just catching up.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go offer up a chicken to the god of cheap web hosting.

People like things with history. How many items say since 2002, or since 1888 on them?
You have created something great, it would be nice to have it exist, however infrequently.

An interesting duality here is that the Rampler studio segments when done from WFMU will be even more like the OvernightScape than the on the street Rampler, because of production values, mad player, studio environment.

In any case I consider you a great friend and will do anything that I can to help you succeed.